The present invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus, such as a video tape recorder, which records and reproduces a digitally modulated signal (hereinafter referred to as a digital signal) and an analog signal.
Recently, digitalization has been progressed in broadcasting systems, and recording media as well as formats which can record video and audio materials with digital signals as they are have been developed. There is D-VHS format which can record and reproduce both of digital signals and analog signals. (D-VHS is one of the trademarks of Japan Victor Co., Ltd.) A content can be recorded with analog signals but should not be recorded with digital signals, and whether or not recordable depends on the contents of digital broadcasting. When a transfer rate of a digital signal transmitted is over the maximum transfer rate of a recording medium or a format, the digital signal cannot be recorded.
A conventional recording and reproducing apparatus, which can record and reproduce both of digital signals and analog signals, is described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3.
In FIG. 3, digital-signal-inputting-means 31 supplies a digital signal to digital-signal-processing-means 32, i.e., processing means 32 receives the digital signal from inputting means 31, then processing means 32 processes various information of the signal, and outputs the process result to digital-signal-demodulating-means 33. Demodulating means 33 demodulates the digital signals of video and audio extracted by processing means 32 into analog signals. Switch 34 receives both of the digital signals of the video and audio from processing means 32 and the analog signals of the video and audio demodulated by demodulating means 33. Then switch 34 selects one of these two kinds of signals based on a control signal supplied from manual-signal-selecting means 35 and outputs the selected signals. Selecting means 35 can manually set the signal selection at switch 34.
Copyright information judging means 36 judges the copyright information extracted by processing means 32. Recording processing means 37 records the digital signal or analog signal output from switch 34. At this time, processing means 37 carries out digital recording or analog recording responsive to the selection of selecting means 35. However, when judging means 36 judges that the copyright information includes prohibition against digital recording, processing means 37 cannot practice digital recording. When processing means 37 can record the content, processing means 37 actually records signals in recording medium 38. Reproduction processing means 39 reproduces the signal recorded in medium 38. Reproduction signal outputting means 310 outputs the signals reproduced by reproduction processing means 39.
An operation of the conventional recording and reproducing apparatus structured above is described hereinafter.
First, a digital signal supplied from inputting means 31 is sent to digital-signal-processing means 32, where necessary data is extracted. At this time, processing means 32 transmits digital signals of video and audio to digital-signal-demodulating means 33 and switch 34. Processing means 32 transmits various data-signals to copyright information judgement means 36. Demodulating means 33 demodulates the digital signal received to an analog signal, then transmits the demodulated analog signal to switch 34. Manual selecting means 35 selects by manual setting which of the digital signal supplied from processing means 32 or the analog signal supplied from demodulating means 33 is to be input to switch 34 Recording processing means 37 records the digital signal or analog signal selected at switch 34.
Regarding the recording by processing means 37, judging means 36 judges the copyright information transmitted from processing means 32, and if the information has prohibition against digital recording, judging means 36 instructs processing means 37 to prohibit the recording. On the other hand, if the information has permission to record the content, judging means 36 instructs processing means 37 to record the content. Then processing means 37 records the digital signal or analog signal selected at switch 34 to recording medium 38. Reproduction processing means 39 reproduces the signal recorded in medium 38, and transmits the reproduced signal to reproduction signal outputting means 310, which then outputs the reproduced signal.
The conventional structure discussed above, however, cannot record desirable video or audio in a particular case, i.e., selecting means 35 selects a digital signal, in other words, the digital signal is input to switch 34, and when the copyright information judged by judging means 36 has prohibition against digital recording, a record prohibiting instruction is sent to processing means 37. As a result, the desirable video or audio cannot be recorded.
Further, in the condition of selecting a digital signal at selecting means 35, and when a transfer rate of the digital signal is over the maximum transfer rate for digital recording, desirable video or audio is not exactly recorded.
The present invention addresses the problems discussed above and aims to provide a recording and reproducing apparatus which can record desirable audio or video in an analog form instead of a digital form even if a digital signal is selected by manual-signal-selecting-means and copyright information judged by copyright-information-judging-means has prohibition against digital recording.
Further, a digital signal is selected at manual-signal-selecting-means, and when a transfer rate of the digital signal supplied to copyright-information-judging-means is over the maximum transfer rate for digital recording, the present invention provides a recording and reproducing apparatus which can record desirable audio or video in the analog form instead of the digital form.
The recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention comprises the following elements:
(a) digital signal inputting means;
(b) digital signal processing means for processing information included in an output from the digital signal inputting means;
(c) digital signal demodulating means for demodulating an output from the digital signal processing means into an analog signal;
(d) copyright information judging means for judging whether or not the content is recordable based on copyright information included in the output from the digital signal processing means;
(e) manual-signal-selecting-means for selecting manually a digital signal or an analog signal as a desirable signal type for recording;
(f) automatic-signal-selecting-means for outputting a selection control signal based on information from the manual-signal-selecting-means and information from the copyright-information-judging-means;
(g) a switch for outputting one of the output from the digital-signal-processing-means or the output from the digital-signal-demodulating-means, based on the selection control signal; and
(h) recording processing means for being controlled by an output from the copyright information judging means, and for recording an output from the switch.
In the condition that a digital signal is manually selected for recording, and the copyright information has prohibition against recording in a digital form but has permission to record in an analog form, this structure allows selecting automatically an analog signal for analog recording. Therefore, this structure can avoid the problem of desirable audio or video being not recorded.
Another recording and reproducing apparatus of the present invention comprises the following elements:
(a) digital signal inputting means;
(b) digital signal processing means for processing information included in an output from the digital signal inputting means;
(c) digital signal demodulating means for demodulating an output from the digital signal processing means into an analog signal;
(d) transfer rate judging means for judging whether or not a transfer rate of the output from the digital signal processing means is over the maximum transfer rate for digital recording;
(e) manual-signal-selecting-means for selecting manually a digital signal or an analog signal as a desirable signal type for recording;
(f) automatic-signal-selecting-means for outputting a selection control signal based on information from the manual-signal-selecting-means and information from the transfer-rate-judging-means;
(g) a switch for outputting one of the output from the digital-signal-processing-means or the output from the digital-signal-demodulating-means, based on the selection control signal; and
(h) recording processing means for recording an output from the switch.
In the condition that a digital signal is manually selected for recording, and a transfer rate of the digital signal to the transfer-rate-judging-means is over the maximum transfer rate for digital recording, this structure allows analog recording, thereby avoiding the problem of desirable audio or video being not recorded.